A MALAYSIAN court sentenced nine Filipinos to life in prison on Tuesday over an armed incursion in 2013 that left scores dead and paralyzed a remote corner of Borneo for weeks, a defense lawyer said.
Eight others, including three Malaysians, received prison sentences ranging from 10 to 18 years, said lawyer N. Sivananthan.
In Manila, Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said the nine Filipinos accused in the failed siege in Lahad Datu district in Borneo in 2013 were spared from execution after a Malaysian court reduced their sentence to life from death.
“All the accused Filipino have been assisted and represented by a private lawyer after their arrest in early 2013 and from the start of the trial proceedings in January 2014,” Jose said.
“The services of the private lawyer were arranged by our embassy in KL and paid for by the PH government.
“Those found guilty have appealed their case. The appeal was filed and the case elevated to the Malaysian Court of Appeal.”
Jose said he and officials from the Philippine Embassy were regularly visiting the accused who are in jail in Borneo and assuring them of full legal assistance.
The capital punishment for the terror-related offense in Malaysia was death, according to Foreign Affairs.
Jose said the Philippine government had provided private lawyers to defend the 14 Filipinos, nine of whom were facing life sentence or death for the failed siege in a remote area in Borneo in 2013.
A report said the Malaysian court had convicted three locals and 14 Filipinos of terror-related offenses, some punishable by death, following an armed incursion that left scores dead and paralyzed a remote corner of Borneo for weeks.
A total of 29 people, 26 Filipinos and three Malaysians, went on trial with 12 Filipinos acquitted.
The others were convicted of offenses ranging from “harboring persons committing terrorist acts” to “waging of war” against Malaysia’s king.
In his judgment, Malaysian court Judge Stephen Chung said there was no evidence that the accused were directly involved in the skirmishes that occurred during the intrusion, nor was there proof that they had killed any member of the security force in cold blood or injured anybody.
He noted that the key persons in the intrusion, such as Datu Agbimuddin Kiram and “General Musa” were not brought to justice.
“The offense had badly affected the lives of the residents of Kampung Tanduo and those who resided in the nearby villages, as well as the families of the deceased security personnel,” he said. with AFP